When Light Mixes with Shadow
by fangirl2013
Summary: Angel Smith is a simple bar tender. One night while working she meets a golden haired swordsman. As she decides to travel with him she learns about the never ending battle between the Light and Shadow. As they continue North Angel learns about the swordsman's fate; and how she may be the only one to save him in the final battle when Light Mixes with shadow...
1. The golden haired swordsmen

Angel wiped the wooden bar counter of the pub as she looked around the bar. The sun was starting to set on the desert hills, painting everything outside and inside a blood-red color. The fire in the corner and torches on the walls gave enough light to the bar to see where you were going. Men eating and drinking sat at wooden tables around the room while the other female employees danced around them serving food and filling drinks.

A few men sat in the corner all wearing cloaks and talking to one another. Angel had been suspicious about them, but since they were regular customers ignored them.

Just then a man walked in wearing worn down samurai armor and helmet. There was nothing special about him except for maybe his golden bangs that stuck out from under his helmet; yet the bar went quiet for a moment when he stepped over the threshold. He took a quick glance around the room taking a second longer at the group in the corner and walked to the bar and sat down. "I got this one"; Angel mouthed to the other female bar tender.

"What'll it be?" Angel asked him as he lifted his helmet off his head, revealing a low ponytail of more golden hair with equally golden eyes. He looked no more than sixteen maybe seventeen.

"I'll have a bottle of Ale." He mumbled to her as he placed a coin on the counter. He took a second glance at the men in the corner.

"Are you a traveler?" She asked as she gave him a bottle of ale. He smirked as if she had said something funny.

"You could say that." He replied.

"Are you a swordsman?"

"You could say that."

"Where ya' headed?"

"North."

"Are you meeting someone?"

"No, Not really." He replied with yet another vague answer.

Getting somewhat aggravated with the unspecific answers she decided on one last question.

"Where are you from?" She asked hoping for a decent answer.

"Nowhere." The swordsman answered.

"Oh, I love nowhere its beautiful this time of year." She said letting sarcasm drip with every word. All the swordsman did was smirk again. Angel let out a frustrated sighed as she laid her head on the bar counter. She looked back at him with a glare.

"You could at least give me your name." She said letting her aggravation get the better of her. He looked at her and took another glance at the cloaked men in the corner.

"What's it to you?" suspicion laced in the swordsman's voice.

"It's my job to talk." She replied exasperated that this conversation had gotten nowhere. (By now she was sitting on a stool beside him.)

Before Angel could get his name the swordsman shoved her off the stool and pulled out his sword. When she looked up expecting to see a smirk on his face, but instead of a smirking swordsman Angel saw a sword that was aimed where her head would have been.

* * *

A loud crash brought Angel out of her momentary daze. The Swordsman had pulled out his sword and was blocking one of the cloaked men's swords.

"So we finally meet again." The Swordsman said with a smug smile to the group.

As the group fought for what seemed like hours; Angel noticed something weird. The swordsman's sword almost glowed, while the cloaked men's was solid black and seemed to ooze with evil. After clashing swords for a while the cloaked men, made for one last attempt on the stranger. The cloaked men circled the stranger.

As they came in closer they attacked the swordsman at different times. He swiftly dodged and stabbed all of the cloaked men. All the men turned to a pile of dust, all except one. The remaining one held its arm, jumped back and ran out the door. As it did, it literately started to melt with the shadows. The swordsman attempted to grab the cloaked man but it had already disappeared into the shadows. The man looked around the pub, not a trace of sweat on his brow.

Angel looked around too. The once noisy pub had now been silenced to only the sound of glass being stepped on as the other female employees came out of their hiding spots. Tables and chairs were thrown everywhere. Dented mugs, spilt beverages and food were everywhere from splattered on the wall to in someone's hair.

After Angel stood up and dusted herself off she looked out the window. It was dark outside and the moon had barely risen so the battle hadn't been as long as she thought... When she looked at the stranger he was picking up the swords that the cloaked figures had dropped. Angel saw the last one at her feet and bent over to pick it up. Just as she was about to touch it the stranger said;

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Angel turned and gave him her best challenging look.

"Why not?"

He looked at as if she were sitting there drooling.

"Would you like to burst into flames or turn into a pile of acid? He asked; ignoring her silent challenge. Angel rolled her eyes and grabbed the handle. As she stood she handed him the sword. He seemed momentarily shocked for a moment, but took the sword from her all the same.

After the pub had been cleaned up the swordsman paid for everything that had been broken (Which surprised everyone that he could pay it). The stranger was fixing to walk out the door when Angel called to him. Something about him was pulling at her, but she didn't know what.

"Wait where are you going?" She asked walking up to him.

"I'm leaving." The swordsman said simply.

"Could you at least give me your name?" He turned and looked at Angel with a calculating look.

"Edward, Edward Elric." He told her.

* * *

**I FINALLY DID IT! I BETAED THIS CHAP AND DEFEAT LEGEND OF ZELDA THE MINISH CAP! I AM ON TOP OF THE WORLD! Feel free to tell me whatcha think guys and don't hold back ;)**


	2. And they're off

"Edward, Edward Elric." Edward told the bar tender girl. "And might I get your name?" He asked inquisitively. She looked about seventeen with her light brown skin, a pretty simple kimono purple eyes and bangs, but looks can be deceiving. He of all people should know…

"Angel Hashimoto." She said while she slightly blushed. Oh great another one. He had hoped she wasn't an average girl. She didn't die when she touched the sword. Anyone who was even brave enough too died immediately.

"Well Ms. Hashimoto it was a pleasure meeting you." He said with a slight bow and turned to walk out the door again_. If she's another girl no point in wasting my time to see if she might be the one I'm looking for._

"You're seriously planning on going out this late?"

Edward turned to Angel.

"And what if I am?"

"Well Edward this place isn't only a Pub; it's an inn too, Angel said slyly, plus there thieves at night and it gets pretty cold at night in the desert..." By now the other workers had left, leaving the two alone.

Edward, knowing what Angel was trying to do, simply did what he always did when someone tried to use him as a cash cow.

"Well thanks for the warning." He smiled and turned to leave yet again.

"Wait," Angel called. Edward sighed through his nose as he turned around once again.

"I don't know why, but something tells me I well, She started as she rubbed the back of her head, something's telling me to go with you"...

"Is that so?" _She could be the one I'm looking for... The monks wouldn't be pleased if I brought a female home as my companion or apprentice though..._ Edward thought. He decided to test her. "Well Ms. Hashimoto, if this "thing" is telling you to travel with me then you should know that my life is very dangerous. Demons around every corner, thieves that could attack-"

"I may not be the strongest person out there, but I can handle it. I may not know how to fight, but I can learn. I may be a girl, but I'm a girl who goes by her gut or as you called this "thing"." Angel cut him off. Edward was momentarily stunned before he burst out laughing.

"Ms. Hashimoto, among what you just said you are also a girl not afraid to speak her mind." He said between breathes. "Alright then you may travel with me on one condition."

"What's that?" Angel asked. Her shoulders tensed.

"You must become my apprentice and learn under me, but you must swear promise you won't abandon the training. No matter how tough it gets." Edward stated.

"What kind of training?" She asked hesitantly.

"Whatever kind suits you for battle." Edward said as if it were obvious. He watched Angel's shoulders relax a bit as she replied with a nod

"Alright then we'll stay here three days. That should give you plenty of time to pack and say goodbye." He informed her as he left into the cool desert air to go to pay for a room.

* * *

**Three days later**

It was early morning; the sun hadn't quite risen so the air wasn't too bad. Edward was preparing his horse when Angel came outside carrying a single bag.

"Is that everything?" He asked. Angel nodded as he took the bag and secured it to his horse.

"Where's the saddle?" She asked.

"Why would I need a saddle?" Angel stared at Edward. Her was mouth slightly open.

"Why wouldn't you have a saddle?"

"There's something called walking."

"You really walk from town to town?"

"If no need to be running from that town. Then yes, yes I do." He replied. Angel went quiet. Edward sighed once he had Angels bag firmly positioned; he grabbed a blanket from one of the saddlebags on his horse; and laid the blanket on it. Edward turned toward Angel abruptly.

"I apologize in advance for this." He said before he picked her up and placed her on his horse.

The horse was a beautiful, strong white Arabian horse, and a long mane like satin. Several leather saddle bags were secured to the horse's sides. Many had alchemic signs on them.

"So what's her name?" Angel asked inquisitively as Edward finished securing the saddlebags.

"Who's?" Edward asked, not even looking up.

"The horse's name."

"His name is Candido."

"Ca-wa?"

"Candido, it means pure or white." Edward stood up and stretched. "Well that about does it, let's go." With the reign firmly in Edward's hand and Angel on Candido the two left the desert town of Ishvaal, for the small town of Risembool.

* * *

**Whaaaa? two chaps in the same day?! How? lol. tell me what you think please!**


	3. An ally?

Angel fanned herself as she walked on with Edward. Awhile ago he made her get off Candido, something about giving the horse a break because the weight strained him. (She was still a little pissed at that comment.) The trio had been walking across the dessert for two weeks.. Two weeks and she knew next to nothing about the mysterious swordsman named Edward Elric.

Edward was quiet most of the time. Whenever Angel tried to ask a somewhat personal question he changed the subject way too quickly. It seemed as if he was hiding something or had a past he didn't want to talk about which she could relate to, but one thing she was for certain was that he did not like taking that armor off. Near the beginning of the trip she had tried to get it off him at a small oasis while he was sleeping, but had to stop two seconds later because of the dust and stench that came from it.

She also figured out he had, height issues… so to speak… She had mentioned something about her hair needing to be cut shorter and he tensed at the word short. Angel said it through out the day at different times, but one sentence she said made him so mad, he started ranting.

Angel squinted at the horizon was there a green mass coming getting closer to them or was it another mirage...

"That's the edge of Risembool. If we keep walking at this rate we'll reach our stop by this afternoon." Edward stated as if reading her mind.

As the continued traveling towards the green mass Angle could see what looked like farmlands in the distance. As the day wore on and they grew closer to Amestris, Angel was awed at the shear beauty and the vastness of the small town.

Lost at the sight of these unfamiliar surroundings, Angel didn't realize that Edward had stopped and she went face to shoulder with him. After peeling her face off the armor, she looked around realizing that they were at a two story yellow house. A green wooden balcony was on the second story window. A small worn- down wooden porch faced her and Edward.

Edward was silently tying Candido to the green railing and walked to the door before she could ask anything. Before he could even reach the door, it opened revealing a young man around eighteen that looked strangely like Edward.

The young man's blue eye's seemed surprised when he saw Edward.

"Mr. Elric, I wasn't expecting you for a couple more months." The young man said with a pleasant smile.

"Well I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by." Rubbing the back of his neck, Ed looked almost uncomfortable being here.

"Ah yes please come in. How is your auto mail?"

"It's seen better days…"

_Wait auto mail,_ Angel asked herself,_ where does he have auto mail?_

The young man chuckled, interrupting her thoughts. "Well I suggest taking a shower before I look at it. It seems you've come across more demons than last time." The young man noticed Angel. "I didn't know you travel with other people besides the monks."

Ed looked back at Angel as if just remembering she was there and shrugged. "Angel, meet Wendell my mechanic. I made an exception, nothing special." Angel noticed how Ed seems to choke on the word mechanic, but was to preoccupied to care as she glared at the back of his head.

"Well this nothing special says to take off the armor off outside before you get a shower." She said to him, not taking no for an answer. Edward looked at her for a moment as if a child debating how to lie himself out of trouble before Wendell intervened.

"That would help you." Ed sighed as he'd been double played.

_HEEELLLLOOO! Once again I apologize for such a long Hiatus. The chapter is shorter than expected. That was unintentional, but, hey I got it written down. I also fixed up the previous chapters so if you want to reread them go-ahead. :)_


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